Many machines are case enclosed for transport. At the same time, these machines need to be erected--typically table height--for use at a site. A good example of such a machine is a direct recording electronic voting machine.
Voting machines traditionally have been cumbersome. Mechanical voting machines were traditionally massive, weighing many hundreds of pounds. These large bulky machines are difficult to move and set up, and constitute a serious storage problem between elections.
Machines utilizing punch cards have the advantage of being small. However, the ballots utilized with such punch card systems require tremendous advance planning, printing, and distribution. Errors in ballot layout and distribution can be catastrophic. Further, such punch cards require post-election processing to enable returns to be generated from the election.
Direct recording electronic voting machines have numerous advantages. First, individual machine tallying of the voting results occurs. Second, such machines are typically equipped with modules, which modules can be gathered, taken to a central station, and interrogated for rapid results. Finally, such machines do not require the elaborate preparation and distribution of large numbers of ballots prior to the election. Further, changes in the ballot structure can be made closer to the election with relatively reduced effort.
Unfortunately, modern direct recording electronic voting machines usually have been constructed around large bulky mountings, which mountings have rendered these machines almost as awkward as their mechanical voting machine counterparts. Typically, the machines are floor mounted and erect to a voting machine and booth configuration from their mounting on the floor. Further, transport, distribution and storage of such machines is a serious problem. For example, some direct recording electronic voting machines will not fit through a standard doorway. Further, size and weight of some direct recording electronic voting machines can constitute a problem. When it is remembered that election workers are typically part time workers--usually elderly--the use of large bulky machines become increasingly inappropriate.